Sunday, 16 June 2013: Arrival at Camp

The DoDDS-Europe JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC) 2103 is up and running this morning as the first cadets arrive at Camp Normandy in the Grafenwöhr Training Area. The garrison is home to the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command and supports training for NATO Allies and friends. The JCLC is headquartered in facilities at Camp Normandy belonging to the 7th Warrior Training Brigade, part of the 7th Civilian Support Command in Kaiserslautern. The cadets will sleep in the WTB's barracks, while the cadre is quartered in barracks provided by the German Standortverwaltung.

As usual the first of our 120 cadets on site are from Vilseck American High School, just down the road at Rose Barracks, Vilseck (a.k.a, The South Camp). Throughout the afternoon arriving cadets are greeted by the Camp Commandant who barks orders to unload the bus, dump all pogey bait, square away all bags in a line and "fall in"! Cadets must double time while doing this . . . they receive instructions from the Commandant and are sent to report to the camp S-1 (adjutant, personnel officer) to be checked in. Once cadets have their platoon assignments, they gather their bags and report to their Tactical NCO at the appropriate barracks building.The Barracks The boys are quartered by platoon (Company A, 1st & 2nd Platoons or Company B, 1st & 2nd Platoons), while the girls are quartered by company. Each building has six rooms for four cadets each and/or one room for a member of the cadre. Showers and toilets are in each building. Rooms are equipped with lockers, desks, chairs, beds/mattresses and linens.

The MealsAll meals are provided by the Grafenwöhr Dining Facility (DFac) on main post. Cadets will generally eat hot meals for breakfast and dinner; the noon day meal is a Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). Cadets will take their first meal following an afternoon of barracks preparation and drill practice . . . some cadets will be assigned their first leadership duties. At dinner there is no talking in line, no ice cream and everyone drinks water.

The CadreMembers of the camp cadre are Soldiers: officers & NCOs mostly, plus one civilian school nurse and one civilian videographer. Some of the Soldiers are retired and employed by DoDDS-Europe to teach JROTC, while others are still on active or reserve duty. Each is charged with ensuring the safety of the cadets and with making the JCLC experience complete.

SafetyFollowing the evening meal on the first day the entire camp assembles for a safety briefing. The DoDDS-Europe Director of Army Instruction (DAI) provides an introduction to camp procedures and the Camp Commander reviews safety protocols required by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the USAG-Grafenwöhr. This is a physically demanding adventurous training program and requires that all participants